Rescue Me
by Hopeless Romanticz
Summary: When Chad finds himself bound and gagged on the set of Mackenzie Falls, his savior turns out to be someone he least expected.


Chad couldn't believe that he had managed to get himself tied up, gagged, and abandoned on the set of Mackenzie Falls. At first it had been no more than a scene for the newest episode in which Mackenzie is captured by two robbers only to make a swift escape shortly after, except the "swift escape shortly after" part never came. The assistants had done their job of binding him a little too well, and the girl in charge of tying the bandana around his head was too busy drowning in a field of giggles to realize that his muffled cries of "Mmmph!" really meant, "Take this stupid thing off of me!"

So now, two hours later long after rehearsal had ended, his cast mates thought it would be hilarious to leave him here, tied to a pole of the prop bank while he helplessly struggled against his bonds and screamed muffled "mmph's" into his bandana gag. After the first hour, when the studio lights had been turned off and the last door had slammed shut in the distance, panic and hopelessness began to creep up on him as he realized there probably wasn't a single soul left in the building.

Defeated, he hung his head and tried to ignore the painful feeling the ropes were beginning to have on his body. Granted, the producers of Mackenzie Falls certainly weren't holding back in the prop budgets – this rope was the state-of-the-art, thickly wound kind that only the most professional of bank robbers would use to tie up their victims. Unfortunately, Chad Dylan Cooper just so happened to be the unlucky victim who had not only had his hands wound behind his back, but his upper body and legs were securely bound as well. _Stupid cast_, he thought. _Some friends they are. I bet _So Random _doesn't have to deal with this crap. _It was absolutely ridiculous – Chad Dylan Cooper did _not _get tied up at the mercy of his cast mates. They were going to be dealing with some serious threats tomorrow morning.

Suddenly, the sound of quick footsteps reached his ears. It was the _click-click_ of hurried heels; a young actress rushing home after staying at the studio for much too long into the night. Chad's heartbeat quickened and his hopes soared; maybe he _wouldn't _be stuck sleeping with his back against a pole tonight!

Mustering up all his strength, Chad yelled into his gag and struggled against his bounds, hoping to make a loud enough ruckus to attract the attention of whoever may be outside in the hallway. The Mackenzie Falls set was fairly large, and he was quite a ways from the double doors leading to the exit, but he refused to give up hope and continued shouting. _Please,_ he thought, _Please let whoever that is find me! _

The tapping of heels against the marble floor came to an abrupt halt outside the doorway, and Chad continued his pleas for help.

_Tap tap. _

Pause. As if considering whether or not to open the doors.

_Tap tap tap._

A hesitant knock.

Chad continued his exhausting cries, now growing impatient. _Just open the damned door already! _he growled to himself. "Mmmmph!"

With that, the heel-wearing actress must have convinced herself that it was acceptable to finally open the doors to the studio, and the door gently creaked open as a dark-haired head of curls peered around the corner. She cleared her throat in a polite, shy way no one else would think appropriate for a situation as completely informal as a one like this and called, "Hello?" into the darkness.

Oh no.

It was not, could not, be her.

There was no possible way this was happening to him.

He knew from the soft, wind chime voice that it was her before she even opened the double doors fully and stepped into the room, before she flicked on the lights and blinked cautiously at the set.

Sonny Monroe.

Sonny Monroe, the last girl, the last person, he would ever want to see him at a time like this had somehow – miraculously – been the only one stupid enough to be at the studio this late and just so _happened_ to waltz by the set of Mackenzie Falls on her way out.

Chad sighed internally.

This was going to be awkward.

It took her a few moments to adjust to the lighting and a few seconds of blinking to bring him into focus on the other side of the room, standing there helplessly tied to a pole. Why did it have to be a _pole? _Why did he have to be tied up, out of all scenarios?

The realization hit her as she let out a small gasp. "Ch-Chad?" she stuttered, pausing a moment in shock before rushing over to his side, her obnoxious black heels _tap-tapping _across the hard floor. Her short-but-not-too-short black dress with its purple ribbon fluttered as she scurried, and her curls seemed to bounce with concern as every inch of her body reflected worry. Chad's heart swelled at her obvious concern for him, but embarrassment was definitely his most dominant emotion right now.

"Oh my gosh, Chad, who did this to you?" she said, her words blurring together as she tried to rush them out far too quickly. "Did something bad happen to the rest of the cast? Where are they now? Are they –" she stopped abruptly, her cheeks reddening as she saw that Chad couldn't possibly answer her questions while gagged. "Oh, I'm sorry, Chad," she said, gently pulling the bandana away from his mouth, her fingers lingering near his cheeks and then sliding to his lips where she paused briefly. He wasn't sure what was more embarrassing – the feeling of Sonny's fingers near his lips or the fact that she had just removed a bandana from his mouth and was essentially rescuing him. Wasn't this a task usually meant for the hero…who was usually a _guy? _

Sonny dropped her hand from his face and raised her soft brown eyes to meet his piercing blue ones. Ugh, she was doing it again. That thing where she just stands there and _stares _as if in a trance, her mouth parted slightly as a smile creeps onto her lips. Sure, Chad was used to girls staring speechlessly in his eyes all the time, but none ever really and truly _dived_ into them like Sonny did. She took the expression "getting lost in your eyes" to a whole new level; if he didn't bring her back to Earth, she'd probably stay missing for another hour or two. He wouldn't mind it so much if it didn't bring out that electrical feeling that was coursing throughout his body, a feeling he had been trying to avoid for months now.

"Erm," he began, his face heating up for some unexplainable reason. "N-Nothing…_bad _happened to anyone else. They all went home. It's just me here."

"What? Then how…why…" Sonny asked, snapping out of the trance as confusion marred her expression. "I don't understand. How did you end up like this?"

He cleared his throat. "Let's just say the cast of Mackenzie Falls finds amusement in ways very different from those of So Random," he sneered. "Their idea of fun isn't all that entertaining in my opinion."

For the second time that night, Sonny gave a little gasp as understanding struck her. "You mean _they _did this to you? Your cast? Oh, Chad, I'm so sorry, I can't believe that anyone would –"

"Save it," he interrupted, dropping his gaze to the ground. "Not worth it."

Sonny nodded, and Chad was surprised that she didn't argue with an of-course-it's-worth-it-and-how-could-you-let-others-treat-you-like-dirt remark. Maybe she realized how incredibly humiliating this was and didn't want to ridicule him further.

After a long silence, Sonny finally mumbled, "I guess I should get you out of this mess", a deep blush creeping onto her face as she examined the vast tangle of ropes that bound him. Chad rolled his eyes, flashing his trademark smirk at her as he tried to break the tension. "What's the matter, Monroe? Does me being tied up make you nervous?"

Sonny scowled, unimpressed by his playfulness. "Glad to see your sense of humor hasn't faltered," she said. "Apparently, not even being tied up can affect the famous Chad Dylan Cooper. I thought you would be a little more humble, especially when I'm rescuing you," she smirked.

Why did she have to take everything so seriously? It seemed like he was always getting her angry with him when he was only teasing or trying to be funny. "Maybe you're just disappointed that you're not the one in this situation and _I _can't come to _your _rescue," he shot back, raising his eyebrows in challenge.

At this, Sonny let out a light giggle. "I'm a strong, independent woman and no man will need to be coming to my rescue anytime soon, thank you," she said, tossing her hair over her shoulder for dramatic effect. Chad began a grin that quickly faltered when she added, "Since you're the confident hero, I guess I'll just leave you here to take care of things," whipping around on her heels and heading in the opposite direction.

Really, she could be so _frustrating _at times. "Aw, come on, Sonshine, you know I didn't mean that," he said, an edge of panic in his voice. Even if it meant backing down to Sonny, he determined not to spend the night stuck to a pole.

The sound of the unfamiliar nickname brought Sonny to a halt. "Sonshine?" she repeated, turning around and raising her eyebrows. She approached him once again, and the warm breath that accompanied her next words sent chills down his spine. "Say it then. Say you need 'Sonshine' to save you, and you can't do this on your own."

Now she was definitely trying to torture him. An overwhelming urge to reach out and touch her, caress her face, trickled across his body, yet Chad could make no move with his hands tied so firmly behind him. Suddenly he was willing to say anything, do anything, to get these ropes off of him and reach out to her.

"I need you Sonny," he whispered, boring his eyes into hers and realizing what great truth were in those words. He watched as Sonny moved closer to him, her deep brown eyes hopeful.

"Do you r-really?" she asked tentatively, taking their long-running joke to a new serious meaning. She placed a hand to his cheek and began running smooth lines across it.

"Really, I do Sonny – really," he replied, knowing that it was the truth. Of course he needed Sonny. She was frustrating and stubborn, but also beautiful, kind, and a million other things, and most importantly _his. _She was _his _Sonny, and he wanted her, needed her, more than anything else in the world.  
"I need you to save me, Sonshine, because I obviously can't do this on my own. Rescue me, and I can be yours." There. He had said it – the whole pleading that she had requested, not a line left unspoken.

Then something unexpected happened, something Chad had reserved only for his fantasies, never daring to imagine it as an actual possibility. Sonny crushed her lips into his, she actually _kissed _him, sending his heart throbbing and blood coursing and palms sweating and a million other sensations at once. In a state of complete shock, Chad did the only natural thing his body and mind were obviously screaming for him to do – he returned her kiss with one of his own, causing the sharp desire to reach out and deepen the kiss to became absolutely unbearable. All the rage and months of restrained passion and hidden feelings exploded within that one kiss, creating a feeling that was completely foreign. Sure, Chad had stage-kissed countless girls before, but nothing could ever compare to this. He felt as if he could live a thousand lives and never again experience a sensation as amazing as this one.

"Sonny," he breathed as she ran her fingers through his light blond hair, "When are you going to untie me?"

Reluctantly pulling apart from the kiss, Sonny's eyes fluttered open as she reached behind Chad and searched for the knot with her fingers. After several minutes of heated fumbling, she managed to untie his wrists, but several more minutes proved that it was impossible to release the other skillfully wound ropes with bare hands. Her face crimson red, whether leftover from the sensation that they had just shared or newly formed from being consciously aware of how close they were, she disappeared from his view, only to return shortly afterwards with a bright pink pocketknife that had undoubtedly came from Penelope's dressing room. Sonny began to run the blade across the ropes, a pained expression crossing her face as she saw how very merciless and captive the bindings had made him.

"I really hate them, you know," she said. "I don't see how anyone could do this to someone like you."

"Someone like me?" Chad laughed. "You have to remember that I'm a jerk on a usual basis. Only you receive special treatment," he stared at her, a smile playing along his lips. "Only someone as amazing as you deserves to see my good side."

Sonny blushed even deeper as she cut off the remainder of the ropes that had restrained his legs. "Stop embarrassing me! Don't make me put that bandana back over your mouth," she threatened, but a smile was forming on her lips as well.

Finally free, Chad reached out and pulled Sonny towards him, wrapping his arms around her and holding her in a close, inescapable embrace. He then gently tilted her chin so she was looking up at him and slowly brought his lips to hers. This time, the kiss wasn't harsh and heated and full of desperate desire; it was soft and sweet and filled with satisfaction. It was a kiss that marked the two as a pair that at last was together, a kiss that introduced a new realm of love and opportunity.

"You should get tied up more often," Sonny whispered into his ear, laughing softly.

Chad grinned back at her. "Only if you do the honors," he replied with a mischievous smile.


End file.
